1. WATER GARDEN

WATER GARDEN

    Water gardenImportance
    Civilization's first settlements sprang up around rivers due to irrigation and transportation needs. Later these people produced such technologies as canals and aqueducts to bring water to lands. Water lilies, lotus, iris, arrowheads as well as numerous grasses, trees, and other plants were found to grow well in and around water sources. In recent days, water gardens are becoming one of the most popular landscape projects. They can be designed to fit virtually any existing landscape. Water gardens are places for recreation. Many of the popular theme parks are based on the concept of water garden only.

    Installing a water garden
    Site selection: In selecting the site for the water garden, consider the plants that intend to grow in the pond, the soils on the site, how level the grade of the site is, surface drainage of the site, the view of the pond site from the house, the overall fit of the pond in the existing landscape and anticipated maintenance requirements.

    Location: A water garden should be located in full sun, or as much as is available, within easy access to water and electricity, where it can be appropriately viewed from the house, where the water can reflect the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
    Aquatic plants such as water lilies require full sun for optimum flowering. For the best growth and establishment of all of water garden plants, a minimum of 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day is recommended. A water garden should not be located where leaves fall from trees or in a low spot in the yard where heavy rain could flood it.

    Design consideration:The design of the pond is of utmost importance. The design of the pond should take into account the following aspects.

    • Size of pond: The size of the pond is very important. Minimum size for a healthy balanced pond is considered to be about 50 square feet of surface area. Depth of the pond should range from 18 to 24 inches.
    • Shape : For a formal style landscape, a geometrically shaped pond would be ideal. If the landscape is informal, a less geometric or informal shaped pond would be more suitable.
    • Edging : Edging materials help the water feature to merge with the overall scheme of the garden. Bricks, rocks, steel edging or wood around the pond can be used to accent the pond.
    • Construction : Choice of materials should take into account the cost, life expectancy of the material, installation requirements, availability and how these materials may blend with the existing materials in landscape.
    • Liner: The liner is generally the most important and most expensive component of the water garden. Some examples of liners are listed below.

    Type of liner Life expectancy
    PVC 7 to 15 years
    Butyl or rubber 30 years
    Fiberglass 50 years
    Concrete Lifetime

    • Pumps: The size of pump for the pond should be capable of circulating the entire volume of the pond's water through a filter in 1 to 2 hours. If water feature such as a waterfall is to be included in the water garden, the pump must be of a size capable of carrying the extra load and fast enough to handle the transit time of the water in the feature.
    • Pump filters: These remove particulate matter such as algae, sediments and fish wastes from the pond's water. There are two main types of filters, mechanical and biological. The mechanical filters are less expensive but require more maintenance. Mechanical filters require the entire volume of water in the pond to circulate through them at least once every hour to be effective. Biological filters are more difficult to install but may need attention as seldom as once a month e.g. Nitrosomonos sp., Nitrospira sp., etc., are effective as water filters.

    Media for plants: Potting media for all pond plants should be fertile heavy clay loam. This soil should be free from fertilizers, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals, if not directly toxic to the plants, can leach out and cause damage to fish and animals living in the pond. Soil should also be free of any fresh organic matter such as peat (fresh organic matter will tend to float out of the soil and cloud the water). All media must be covered with a 1 to 2 inch layer of coarse gravel or rocks (not sand) to prevent the clay from dispersing into the pond water.

    Fertilizers: Fertilizers used should be special aquatic pelletized slow release forms. Well balanced fertilizer can be mixed into the soil and then packed into the middle of the root ball at the bottom of the pot to prevent it from leaching.

    Maintenance tools: A long poled net is handy for the removal of leaves and other fallen materials. Garden shears facilitate pruning of water plants. A pH meter or testing kit is useful to test the water pH.

    Water
    Correct depth of pond, a good filtration system and correctly chosen plants can ensure maintenance of water in a good condition. A water filtration system and oxygenators will help in keeping the water clear of algae and other debris. The water filter should be cleaned at least once a week, or as needed.
    Pumps: Pumps should be pulled from the pond and cleaned regularly. The pump filters may need weekly cleaning.

    Plants: As the leaves and flowers of the aquatic plants die they should be removed. Watch the root balls and leaves for damage by fish and insects. Once or twice in a year lotus will need repotting.
    Plants for water gardening
    Aquatic plants basically fall into four categories as listed below.
    1.Deep water plants
    2.Bog plants (marginals)
    3.Oxygenators
    4.Floating plants
    Of these, the following plants are suitable for water gardens.

    Deep water plants:
    Water lilies - Nymphaea spp.
    Lotus - Nelumbo spp.
    Spatterdock - Nuphar luteum

    Floating plants:
    Azolla - Azolla sp
    Duckweed - Lemna sp
    Water meal - Wolffia sp
    Water fern - Salvinia minima
    Water hyacinth - Eichhornia crassipes
    Water Lettuce - Pistia stratiotes

    Submerged plants or oxygenators:
    Vallisneria - Vallisneria americana
    Dwarf sagittaria - Sagittaria natans
    Anacharis - Elodea canadensis
    Cabomba - Cabomba caroliniana
    Water milfoil - Myriophyllus spp.

    Fish: Fish should be watched for infections of fungi and other parasites. If any die, remove them as soon as they are found. Goldfish are very hardy and are suitable for ponds. Shubunkin, Calicoes, Orandas, Fantails such as Chinese Moor and Comets are popular types of goldfish.

Last modified: Saturday, 23 June 2012, 4:05 AM